Restaurants
We have used the following symbols to give an idea of the price for a dinner for one, without wine:
€€€€ over 100 euros €€ 30–60 euros
€€€ 60–100 euros € below 30 euros
Brussels
Grand-Place/Ilot Sacré/fish market
La Belle Maraîchère €€ place Ste-Catherine 11a, tel: 02-512 9759, www.labellemaraichere.com. Seafood delivered fresh from the coast is the speciality at this restaurant. The fishermen’s stew is highly regarded. Open Fri–Tue, lunch noon–2.30pm, dinner 6–10pm.
Chez Léon € rue des Bouchers 18, tel: 02-511 1415, www.chezleon.be. Mussels are big in Belgium, and nowhere more so than at this mussels specialist near the Grand-Place – something that has been the case since 1893. It’s not fancy, and the approach even verges on fast-food, but there’s nothing wrong with its mollusc speciality, served in a variety of ways. Open Sun–Thu 11.30am–11pm, Fri–Sat 11.30am–11.30pm.
Comme Chez Soi €€€€ place Rouppe 22, tel: 02-512 2921, www.commechezsoi.be. Brussels’ top restaurant, just off boulevard Anspach, is styled in Art Nouveau in homage to Victor Horta. Its French and Belgian dishes area delight for the senses. You can eat in the dining room or take one of the tables in the kitchen. It is essential to book several weeks in advance. Open Tue–Wed dinner 7–9pm, Thu–Sat lunch noon– 1pm, dinner 7–9pm.
L’Ecailler du Palais Royal €€€ rue Bodenbroeck 18, tel: 02-512 8751, www.lecaillerdupalaisroyal.be. This restaurant offers a gastronomic event featuring exquisite seafood, fine wine and impeccable service. Open Mon–Sat lunch noon–2.30pm, dinner 7–10.30pm.
In ’t Spinnekopke €€ place du Jardin-aux-Fleurs 1, tel: 02-511 8695, www.spinnekopke.be. Said to be the oldest tavern in Brussels, In ’t Spinnekopke serves ample portions of Flemish dishes, which are accompanied by a choice of more than 100 Belgian beers. You’ll find it just beyond place St-Géry. Open Mon–Fri, lunch noon–3pm, dinner 6–11pm; Sat dinner only.
’t Kelderke € Grand-Place 15, tel: 02-513 7344, www.restaurant-het-kelderke.be. A typical Brussels bar/restaurant hidden away in a cellar room below the Grand-Place. It serves the very best Flemish dishes, all washed down with excellent beer. The place has an informal atmosphere and is always noisy and very busy because it’s such good value. Open daily noon–11pm, Fri–Sat until 12am.
La Maison du Cygne €€€ rue Charles Buls 2, tel: 02-511 8244, www.lamaisonducygne.be. Originally home of the butcher’s guild before becoming a tavern frequented by Marx and Engels, this place is now one of the best restaurants in town, specialising in French dishes. The ornate dining room on the second floor has great views over the Grand-Place. Open Mon–Fri, lunch noon–2.30pm, dinner 7–10.30pm, Sat dinner only.
La Manufacture € rue Notre-Dame du Sommeil 12–20, tel: 02-502 2525, www.lamanufacture.be. A beacon of good taste in a former designer leather-goods factory in the Lower Town. You dine on French-based world cuisine, amid iron pillars, exposed air ducts, wood floors, leather benches, polished wood and stone tables. On sunny summer days, the shaded outdoor terrace is a pleasant place on which to eat. Open Mon–Fri noon–2pm and 7–10.30pm, Sat 7–11pm.
De l’Ogenblik €€ galerie des Princes 1, tel: 02-511 6151, www.ogenblik.be. On the edge of the Galeries Royales St-Hubert, this restaurant combines the simple décor of a chic French brasserie with Belgian service and a Franco-Belgian menu of meat and seafood dishes. Open Mon–Sat, lunch noon–2.30pm, dinner 7pm–midnight.
La Roue d’Or €€ rue des Chapeliers 26, tel: 02-514 2554. This Art Deco brasserie, off the Grand-Place, has murals inspired by René Magritte, a profusion of silver gilt, and a typical Belgian menu, which also includes a few French dishes. Open daily noon–12.30am.
Le Sablon/Les Marolles
Bleu de Toi €€−€€€ rue des Alexiens 73, tel: 02-502 4371, www.bleudetoi.be. Pretty restaurant on a street just west of the church of Notre Dame de la Chapelle. There are three small intimate dining areas, including a vine-covered terrace. The menu is based on French cuisine with modern twists. Open Mon–Sat evenings, lunch group booking only.
La Canne à Sucre €€ rue des Pigeons 14, tel: 0475-472023, www.lacanneasucre.be. Come here, just off place du Grand-Sablon, for cuisine from the French Antilles–Martinique. Boudin sausage, court bouillon piquant sauces and conch stew are all specialities worth trying, as is the splendid Martinique rum. Open Tue–Sat, dinner only 7.30pm–midnight.
Beyond the Old City
Bruneau €€€ avenue Broustin 73–5, tel: 02-421 7070, www.bruneau.be. Occupying a nicely decorated town house a little way from the centre, near the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart, has a faithful following for its contemporary and imaginative French cuisine, and outdoor dining in summer. Open Thu–Mon, lunch noon–2pm, dinner 7–9.30pm.
Le Chalet de la Forêt €€€ drève de Lorraine 43, tel: 02-374 5416, www.lechaletdelaforet.be. Fine French cuisine is served in the elegant dining room or on the terrace of this restaurant at the edge of the Forêt de Soignes, making it a perfect lunch venue for excursions to the Waterloo battlefield or Tervuren. Open Mon–Fri, lunch noon–2.30pm, dinner 7–10pm.
La Grand Ecluse €–€€ boulevard Poincaré 77, tel: 02-523 5545, www.grande-ecluse.com. Just across the petite ceinture, this restaurant was once a lock house for the river and canal system, and the beautifully renovated lock mechanism adds to the innovative overall design. There is a terrace at the rear. The place used to be a French restaurant, but is now a steak house. Open Sun–Thu 11am–midnight, Fri–Sat 11am–3pm.
Upper City
Au Vieux Bruxelles €−€€ rue St-Boniface 35, tel: 02-503 3111, www.auvieuxbruxelles.com. Situated close to the Porte Namur, this traditional restaurant is a proud purveyor of that Belgian seafood obsession, moules, served in a multiplicity of styles. It’s been in business since 1882 and its mussels show no sign of flagging. Open Tue–Thu 6.30–11.30pm, Fri–Sat 6.30pm–midnight, Sun 6.30–11.30pm.
Blue Elephant €€ chaussée de Waterloo 1120, tel: 02-374 4962. On a long boulevard just west of the Bois de la Cambre, this top-rated Thai restaurant is celebrated for its delicate cuisine and enchanting setting. Open lunch Sun–Fri noon–2.30pm, dinner Mon–Fri 7–10.30pm, Sat–Sun until 11.30pm.
Brasseries Georges €–€€ avenue Winston Churchill 259, tel: 02-347 2100, www.brasseriesgeorges.be. Oysters are a signature item among multifarious seafood and meat dishes at this bustling brasserie, with a grand pavement terrace, on the corner of chaussée de Waterloo, just west of the Bois de la Cambre. Open Sun−Thu noon–0.30am, Fri–Sat until 1am.
La Porte des Indes €€ avenue Louise 455, tel: 02-647 8651, www.laportedesindes.com/brussels. Facing the Abbaye de la Cambre, near the southern end of avenue Louise, this Indian restaurant is a delight to the senses and treats the cuisine of the subcontinent with the respect it deserves. Open lunch Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm, dinner Mon−Thu 7–11.30pm, Sat–Sun 7–10pm.
La Quincaillerie €€–€€€ rue du Page 45, tel 02-533 9833, www.quincaillerie.be. Situated near the Musée Horta, this brasserie-restaurant is housed in a late-19th-century warehouse. The industrial feel has been kept in the splendid décor, and the whole place hums with chatter. Belgian and continental dishes are on the menu here. Open lunch Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm, dinner daily 7pm–midnight.
ANTWERP
Grand Café De Rooden Hoed € Oude Koornmarkt 25, tel: 03-289 0909, www.deroodenhoed.be. Reputed to be Antwerp’s oldest restaurant, this establishment, situated near the cathedral, opened in 1750. It provides hearty quantities of regional Belgian and French dishes, some of them old standbys and some modern. Open Mon–Thu 11.30am–10pm, Fri–Sat until 10.30pm.
Sir Anthony Van Dijck €€–€€€ Oude Koornmarkt 16, tel: 03-231 6170, www.siranthonyvandijck.be. Occupying a superb location in the restored 16th-century Vlaeykensgang courtyard, this modern French-Flemish restaurant is a labour of love for its owner-cum-chef, who removed himself from Michelin-star stress to do something that was considerably more to his liking. Open Mon–Sat noon–1.30pm and from 6.30pm.
BRUGES
Breydel-De Coninck €-€€ Breidelstraat 24, tel: 050-339746 http://restaurant-breydel.be. Situated in the street that connects the Burg and the Markt, this long-standing exponent of the Belgian obsession with mussels has traditional style and wood-beamed ceilings. It serves the multifaceted mollusc in a variety of ways. Other seafood dishes, such as lobster and eels, are on the menu too. Open Thu–Tue noon–3pm and 6–10pm.
Lotus € Wapenmakersstraat 5, tel: 050-331078, http://lotus-brugge.blogspot.com. This cool, unpreachy purveyor of vegetarian cuisine, situated two blocks north of the Burg, has an emphasis on freshness and quality that should appeal to non-vegetarians too. The choice is limited – take it or leave it, more or less – with just two dishes, offered in small, medium and large portions. Open Mon–Fri lunch only 11.45am–2pm.
Maximiliaan van Oostenrijk €–€€ Wijngaardeplein 16–17, tel: 050-334723, www.maximiliaanvanoostenrijk.be. A Burgundian restaurant in one of the city’s most romantic areas, adjacent to the Begijnhof and the Minnewater (Lake of Love). Menu items include the traditional local stew waterzooï, along with grilled meats and seafood. Open daily 11am–11pm (closed Wed mid-Mar–mid-Nov).
Spinola €€ Spinolarei 1, tel: 050-341785, www.spinola.be. Traditional Flemish tapestries adorn the dining room of this, one of the best restaurants in town, just off Jan van Eyckplein. Fish dishes are a speciality. Open Tue–Sun, lunch noon–2pm, dinner 7–10pm.
GHENT
Belga Queen €–€€ Graslei 10, tel: 09-280 0100, www.belgaqueen.be. This beautiful gabled guild house features both a bar (on the second floor) and a restaurant (third floor). Tables by the window have wonderful views over the city’s central canal. Serves traditional Flemish cuisine. Open daily, lunch noon–2.30pm, dinner Sun–Thu 6.30–11pm, Fri–Sat until midnight.
Keizershof € Vrijdagmarkt 47, tel: 09-223 4446, www.keizershof.net. Diners pile into hearty portions of Belgian and continental food in this large, rambling restaurant on Ghent’s lively market square, amid a décor of wooden ceiling beams, plain wood tables and fashionably tattered walls. In summer, there’s outdoor eating in the courtyard. Open Tue–Sat noon–2pm and 6–10pm.